as in joining
to become a friend to (someone)
He befriended the new student.
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Recent Examples of befriending
Palmer-Tomkinson was friends with both William and Prince Harry, befriending them in childhood.
—
Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 29 May 2026
Conrad Weiser was a Pennsylvania German who had roamed the frontier for decades, learning the Indian languages and befriending Indian leaders, including some who encountered Washington in Ohio.
—Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
Her language skills also aid her in befriending Hanna (Maia Rae Domagala), a 15-year-old German skiing prodigy who has come to Chile to train with her coach, Alexander (Jakub Gierszal).
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 May 2026
Things take a turn when Snow, 40, who plays Sophie, moves to Texas and tries befriending the group of East Texas socialites — only for a teen girl named Abby to turn up dead.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026
Beyond the Artforum ads, Bischofberger also made a significant contribution to the trajectory of contemporary art, personally befriending artists such as Francesco Clemente, Julian Schnabel, and Andy Warhol and even transforming their practices along the way.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 9 May 2026
This approach involves befriending the zeros inside large AI models.
—Olivia Hsu, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Apr. 2026
The Ronettes’ sexy look and powerful voices — plus songwriting and producing help from Phil Spector — turned them into one of the premier acts of the girl-group era, touring England with The Rolling Stones and befriending the Beatles.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Characteristically, McMurtry wasn’t keen on being the subject of a full biography; Streitfeld, after befriending him, won his cooperation piecemeal.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 21 Apr. 2026
Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 29 May 2026
Conrad Weiser was a Pennsylvania German who had roamed the frontier for decades, learning the Indian languages and befriending Indian leaders, including some who encountered Washington in Ohio.
—Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
Her language skills also aid her in befriending Hanna (Maia Rae Domagala), a 15-year-old German skiing prodigy who has come to Chile to train with her coach, Alexander (Jakub Gierszal).
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 May 2026
Things take a turn when Snow, 40, who plays Sophie, moves to Texas and tries befriending the group of East Texas socialites — only for a teen girl named Abby to turn up dead.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026
Beyond the Artforum ads, Bischofberger also made a significant contribution to the trajectory of contemporary art, personally befriending artists such as Francesco Clemente, Julian Schnabel, and Andy Warhol and even transforming their practices along the way.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 9 May 2026
This approach involves befriending the zeros inside large AI models.
—Olivia Hsu, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Apr. 2026
The Ronettes’ sexy look and powerful voices — plus songwriting and producing help from Phil Spector — turned them into one of the premier acts of the girl-group era, touring England with The Rolling Stones and befriending the Beatles.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Characteristically, McMurtry wasn’t keen on being the subject of a full biography; Streitfeld, after befriending him, won his cooperation piecemeal.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befriending
Verb
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Yet Mayo made history just the same, joining Tori Penso and Kathryn Nesbitt as the first American officials to work a World Cup final as a trio.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
The newly public stocks will pop on admission and then drop after joining the index.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Best Women’s Clothing Deals My favorite part of traveling, besides the destination itself, is curating the ultimate travel wardrobe that perfectly matches the vibe of the trip.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
29 May 2026
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That’s where parachutes made of nylon and Kevlar are stitched together for everything from space capsules coming back to land on Earth or one day traveling to the surface of Mars or dropping military personnel on beachheads around the world.—
Pat Maio,
Oc Register,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Celebrities in each host city will serve as these global ambassadors, connecting with fans and promoting local tourism and culture.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
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His concept of the collective unconscious, a universal element of the human mind connecting past and present, was fundamental to her understanding of images and the interconnected nature of ancient archetypes.—
Eliza Goodpasture,
ARTnews.com,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befriending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befriending. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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